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Sunday, November 28, 2010

Chaos in My Sewing Room

OK, I admit it, I'm a fabric-oholic. I'm not kidding. If you could see my sewing room you'd believe me. And when I can figure out how to add pictures I'll show you. But I digress. I read somewhere once that, as a quilter, if you see a fabric you like you should buy a yard. If you love it, buy two yards. If you can't live without it, buy the whole bolt. Operating with that philosophy I have now reached the SABLE point. SABLE = Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy. I suspect I have that in common with many quilters.

When I open the door to my sewing room all I see is stacks of fabric everywhere. They're even on top of the sewing machine (thankfully I have two machines)!!! A riot of color and pattern that makes my head spin with possibilities. And groan with frustration about where to put it all. I could put hooks in the ceiling and hang bags of fabrics and still have more that needed to be stored. My shelves are full. My bins are full. My cutting table is stacked high. Stacks have migrated to the kitchen table and a card table in the living room. I think I have that in common with many quilters, too.

Lately I've developed the habit of peeking into my sewing room before I go to bed at night. I don't do it to make sure everything is okay in there or to whack myself over the head about the mess. I do it because it's a cheery end to the day to see what could be in the future and mull it over while I fall asleep. Would that brocade-y looking dark turquoise swirl fabric look best used with a lighter turquoise or a bright white? What to mix with my collections of red fabrics to bring the reds to life? Should I make a scrappy postage stamp quilt out of the fabric scraps in my scrap bin? How many more animal skin prints should I get before I start that African-themed crazy quilt? Does that green fern print really look good with the pink roses?

Am I going to tidy up my sewing room? Well, maybe I'll just work the stacks down as I arrange and re-arrange fabric groups. So many possibilities, so little time!